Connect the Dots
by AzikaRue394
Summary: Kai's parents are away so he's staying with his best friend; Tala. But all of a sudden the boys become spotted... Attemped humor.
1. Sleepover

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade but I do own the plot.

* * *

**Connect the Dots**

_Chapter One: Sleepover_

The man let out a contented sigh as he absentmindedly read through the headlines of the day's newspaper. Chocolate brown eyes skimmed an article with mild interest as he sipped a pungent wine as red as his hair. He was not usually one to dip into the spirits on a normal day but the process of his divorce had taken so much out of him that he figured one small glass would do no harm.

Drevin Ivanov watched the door to his study swing open, not being able to see who'd entered from his reclined position, but still, he had a rough idea who the culprit was. Small feet pattered across the floor and Tala stopped beside his dad, trying to tug his legs off of the desk.

Drevin laughed good-naturedly as he sat properly so the boy could clamber into his lap.

"What's that?" the curious red-head pointed at the half empty glass of wine.

"A big person drink." a smile curled its way onto his lips.

"Oh, it looks like juice." the kid paused for a moment, his wheels visibly turning. "I'm big; I'm five whole years old." Tala held up four fingers.

"Five years old," his dad folded the thumb of the boy's hand out, "isn't quite old enough for this drink."

The ice-eyed boy sighed in defeat as Drevin fingered the devilish spikes forming in his red hair. Numerous people had tried countless times to tame the cherry mane, but it never obliged.

"I'm bored." the boy whined, kicking his feet against his father's shins.

"And how, exactly, do you propose we deal with that?" the lawyer addressed the small boy on his lap.

"What's prub-ose mean?" Tala struggled with the new word.

"It means, what do you think we should do about you being bored?" he used simpler terms.

"Call Kai! I want Kai to come over!" the child exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air and jumping to his knees, now facing his father.

"Well, I guess I can call Susumu and see what he's doing."

"YAY!" the boy rejoiced and Drevin had a feeling that he'd been planning this all along.

He lifted his son and brought him out to the phone in the hall. In all truth, they could've used the phone in his study, but it had its own separate line; Drevin's business line, and calls always came in during other conversations which was quite a nuisance.

The younger red-head had been babbling all the way to the hall.

"..And when Kai gets here we're gonna play games and beyblade and play hide 'n seek and-"

Drevin shushed the boy as the Hiwatari's phone rang on the other end. With a click he heard his friend pick up.

"Hello, Hiwatari household, Susumu speaking."

"Hey, it's me." the Russian eyed his son who was bouncing around in anticipation.

"Drevin, how are you?" he knew about the divorce, of course, and knew how hard it must've been. He wouldn't admit it to just anyone, but sometimes he worried about his friend and Tala; especially Tala, now growing up without a mother.

"I'm fine. How about you?" Tala pulled impatiently at his father's hand.

"Pretty good, actually, I was just going to call you. I have a huge favor to ask."

A small, double-toned hair boy tapped Susumu's thigh.

"Who you talkin' to?" Kai whispered, bright purple eyes glittering with curiosity.

Susumu pointed at the picture of Kai and Tala sitting on the table. The picture had been taken last summer when the two families decided to take the kids to France on vacation. Kai and Tala were laughing as they waved to the camera from beside a statue in the park; both were wearing berets.

"What is it?" Drevin continued the conversation, "You know I'm good for a favor; God only knows how many times you've helped me out."

"Well, Natasha and I have an sudden, very important business meeting to attend in Madrid. We can't take Kai with us but we don't really want to leave him all cooped up in the house with only the servants for company; we were hoping to give them the week off anyways. So," he paused to make a shushing motion to Kai who was now pleading silently to talk to Tala, "could Kai stay with you for a week or so?"

"It's okay with me," came the lawyer's reply, "but just let me ask that son of mine." He bent down to Tala's level after setting the phone down on the table. "Kai's mom and dad have to go on a trip and they wanted to know if he could stay here for a week."

Drevin braced himself for the eruption.

"YAY!!" the child shrieked and performed a small jig before stealing the telephone and shouting into the receiver, "KAI! YOU'RE COMING OVER FOR A _WHOLE WEEK_!!"

"Ah!" Susumu held the phone at an arm's length.

"I KNOW TALS! IT'S GONNA BE SO MUCH FUN!" the slate-haired youth shouted back jumping up and down.

"AND- hey!" Tala protested as his father took the phone away.

"Susumu?"

"So is that a 'yes'?"

* * *

"Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry..."

The small wolf ran in circles around his single parental unit as the man walked deliberately slowly toward the front door.

The doorbell rang.

The cub's eyes widened.

"Go! Go, go, go!"

Tala pushed his hands against his father's lower back and tried to run; his socked feet only had a treadmill affect on the tile floor.

"Patience." Drevin reminded, coming to a complete stop.

His son had begun to get frustrated and was now leaning backwards against Drevin's legs and using his own for leverage to push his dad toward the front door.

"Ugh! Come in! Come in! Dad, they're not listening! _Go!_" Tala panicked.

The older Russian chuckled and began to walk again.

Outside the door a similar rendition was going on.

"Just go in!" Kai whined, shifting from foot to foot and clutching his sleeping bag that he probably wouldn't even use.

"It's polite to wait. They'll let us in when they're ready."

"But we'll be here all day!" Kai stuck his lower lip out and knit his eyebrows together in a classic pout.

Susumu sighed and shook his head with a small smile playing on his lips.

"Come in! Come in!"

"That's Tala! C'mon!" The boy made his way to the doorknob planning on opening the door himself. "It's locked! Oh no! Daddy, do something!"

The door opened and the callers were allowed in.

"Thank goodness!" Kai ran in.

"Thank you so much." Susumu handed his old school friend Kai's bag which was dispensed onto the floor. "Everything he'll need is here. If he's any trouble you can call." A list of phone numbers was handed over. "And if he needs anything else-"

"I have a key to your house." the host finished. "Don't worry; Kai will be fine with me."

"And me!" Tala piped up from where he and his best friend were trying to heave the latter's luggage upstairs.

"Why do _I_ have to be in the bottom?!" Kai demanded as his thin arms took on most of the bag's weight. "I'll be crushed!"

"Because it's _your_ bag! It's your fault it's so heavy!" the other boy retorted.

"Shut up, cockatoo head!" Kai used Tala's adopted nickname he'd earned when they'd gone to a pet store and seen the birds with red feathers sticking up at odd angles. Kai was quick to point out how they resembled Tala's hair and the name just stuck from then on out.

"Kai." His father's voice had that infamous tone of warning that every Hiwatari's was capable of gaining.

"Sorry." The apology came automatically as the kids gained one step.

"Well, I should get going. Natasha's at home and I've got to pick her up before we head to the airport. Oh, and I didn't mean to say I didn't trust you with Kai. It's just a parent thing."

"I know." Drevin gave a small laugh.

With that Susumu parted, knowing not the mayhem that would ensue during the following week.

* * *

A/N: So what'd you think?? It's my newest little project and I'm making the chapters shorter than in SINW so I can update that one quicker and still work on this one. I like to have two going at once so I can keep myself from getting bored with one.

I think Riley inspired me to write about little persons!

Well, read and review. ;D


	2. Spotted

Well, now we welcome chapter two! This one was a kick to write because I've been on a role with this story for the past few days. I'd like to thank all my lovely reviewers, subscribers, favoriters, and dedicated people who may not've done either.

Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade and I've got Mr. Ivanov to back me on that one.

* * *

**Connect the Dots**

_Chapter Two: Spotted_

The two fearsome competitors sat on opposite ends of the table, arms crossed. Tala leaned forward and pressed his elbows to the table squinting at Kai. Kai half squinted and half glared as he too leaned on the table.

A wiggle of Kai's nose gave a perfect opportunity.

"Aah-choo!" the viola-eyed boy was rocked by a giant sneeze.

"Ha!" Tala shouted as he launched himself onto the table. "I won! I get the good half of the beydish!"

"It wasn't fair!" Kai wailed, "No one can keep their eyes open when they sneeze!"

"Well it's your own fault; you could've held it in." the older of the two stated matter-of-factly.

"But you said that if I held sneezes in my head would explode!" Kai demonstrated the explosion by spreading his arms wide apart.

"It's true. You made a life-saving decision."

"Aah!" the boy cried in exasperation, entangling his hands in his hair and slamming his head onto the table.

"Kai?"

Tala crawled across the table after a moment and lifted a few strands of hair, trying to see Kai's face.

"Fine!" Kai stood on his chair and slammed his palms to the table.

"Waaa!" the outburst caused the redhead to tumble off the table. "Ow." Tala peeked over the table's edge. "What was that for?"

"You can have the good side, but if I win two out of three, _I_ get that side." The smugness reverberated off of his figure and he crossed his arms once more over his chest.

"Let's go then!" Tala pulled Kai off of his chair and began to drag him to the mansion's private training room.

"Wait, Tala!" the two-toned haired boy dug his heels into the floor only just realized something, "I'm hungry."

Tala sighed and turned back to his friend, "What do you want?"

"Can we make potato soup?"

"Potato soup?" The redhead tried to raise an eyebrow as he'd seen his father do but only succeeded in raising both and squinting one eye.

Kai shrugged, "I like potato soup."

"Okay, then." a mischievous grin sketched onto Tala's face. "Let's make it in the toilet."

His friend gave a maniac-like giggle as the duo scurried away to find their ingredients.

* * *

Drevin was only slightly aware that he hadn't seen hide nor hair of the boys for too long. The fact danced in the back of his mind as he spoke with an elderly old woman about some life insurance company she thought had cheated her. How much trouble could they really be getting into?

* * *

"One potato, two potato, three potato, four!"

A potato was thrown into the porcelain bowl with every number.

"Five potato, six potato, seven potato, more!"

Kai threw an armload of potatoes into the toilet.

"I think that's enough." Tala peered into the bowl at the dirty mass of whole potatoes. "We forgot to clean them."

"That just adds flavor."

"If you say so." the redhead was fiddling with a can of green beans to add to the soup.

The youngest Russian snatched the can off of Tala. "Let me; I used to open cans of tuna to feed Charlie all the time at home."

After some maneuvering of the can opener, the lid popped off. Kai turned the beans upside-down and they slurped out of the can, landing in the potato/dirt mixture.

"Don't we have anything else?" he stared at the meager ingredients with slight distaste.

"That was all I could reach." Tala defended, sending a look in Kai's direction.

"Oh, well." Kai shrugged, "Dig in!"

The two picked up the spoons they'd brought up earlier and dipped them into the toilet, scooping up chunks of beans.

"The potatoes are too big to fit on the spoon." Kai complained yet again.

"You're cranky today." Tala observed, "Eat 'em like this." He lifted a potato out of the concoction with his hand and bit into it as if it was an apple.

Kai scowled but copied him move for move.

They were savoring the taste of slightly dirty and wet potatoes with bean juice squirted over them when:

"Tala! Kai!"

"Uh-oh..." Tala's eyes widened when he heard his father's voice. "Close it!"

Kai tossed his half eaten potato back in and shut the lid of the toilet. The pair ran out of the bathroom at top speed and ran smack into Drevin.

"Ow!" Tala held his nose which had hit his dad's kneecap.

"Oof!" The smaller boy bounced back to land on his butt and looked up at Mr. Ivanov through his bangs, a slightly guilty look resting on his face.

"What were you guys doing in there?" the man raised an eyebrow and giving an amused curl of the lips, folded his arms over his chest.

"Um..." Kai bit his bottom lip.

"Nothing, Daddy!" Tala piped up with a small grin.

"Well, whether I believe that or not," the two boys were each pointedly looked in the eyes, "it's time for your nap."

There were many moans, groans, and annoyed 'humphs' as he carried the children to Tala's room and put them down for a nap.

"If I hear so much as a peep out of you, you'll be sleeping in different rooms for the rest of the week." Drevin pointed a finger at and made eye contact with both. He then switched off the lights and stopped in the door frame for an instant.

"G'night, Daddy."

"'Night."

Tala and Kai bid their guardian goodnight and yawned, already inches from sleep.

Drevin smiled; these were the small moments that made his fatherhood even more worthwhile than usual.

"Sweet dreams."

* * *

A few hours later, a red-haired beyblader awoke and stretched his short arms high above his head. With a growl of grumpiness he clawed at irritated areas on his back, arms, stomach, and legs.

A frustrated sigh was forced out of Tala's lungs. The boy looked casually at his hands and did a double-take seeing two, four, _seven_ red spots!

"Kai-" he looked over to find the one he thought was the culprit fast asleep.

Even more puzzled, he hopped out of bed and stumbled into his bathroom. The mirror revealed a body covered in dots to match his fiery mane.

"Kai..." Tala scattered out to shake his best friend awake.

"'S goin' on?" the child wiped the sleep from his eyes, "Tals?"

"You've got them too!" Horror was evident on the pale face as he pointed at Kai's polka-dotted face.

"Huh?" The younger was dragged to the mirror and looked fearful of what he saw.

"DAD!"

* * *

A/N: I hope that was satisfactory. I didn't really like this chapter but the next will be better, I promise.

Just in case of confusion Charlie was Kai's cat. ;)

Lots of love! (Not sure why I said that...)

Review??


	3. Chocolate and Bedtime Stories

It seems to me like it's been a while but here's chapter three.

Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade.

* * *

**Connect the Dots**

_Chapter Three: Chocolate and Bedtime Stories_

Kai and Tala made a two-man stampede down the stairs and slammed into Drevin for the second time that day. This time, they were both caught before coming in contact with the ground.

"Woah! What-"

"We have spots!" Kai screamed dramatically, a slight hint of hysteria in his voice.

"We're all itchy!" Tala matched Kai's hysteria and topped it as tears spilled over his cheeks.

"Shh. Relax." The comfort did nothing. "It's just chicken pox."

"Dranzer did this?!" the wolf cub shrieked, "Take it, take it!" Tala took his friend's beyblade from his pants pocket and tossed it to his dad.

"No!" Drevin had known Kai long enough to realize when he was nearing a temper tantrum and with both kids on the brink of insanity, a tantrum was quite near.

Kai's blade was returned and Tala cried, "We're gonna die!"

"Chicken pox don't kill you." the red-headed man consoled the boys.

He lifted the weeping children into his arms and carried them down the hallway.

"Is this what happens when you eat out of the toilet?" Tala whimpered into his father's right shoulder.

"No they-wait-what?" Drevin's angrily incredulous tone made the pair cry even harder. He forced himself to calm down. "No, that's not how you got them, but it's probably still not the best idea to eat out of the toilet."

He pressed his back against the kitchen's swinging door and set the two down on the counter. Danika, the resident cook, entered and placed her pudgy hands on slightly stout hips.

"What have we here?"

The chef had friendly brown eyes and matching, short, curly hair. She wore a white apron over jeans and a flannel button-up shirt; she looked as though she'd come straight from a farm.

"Looks like a couple cases of the chicken pox." Drevin smiled, "Find then something chocolate while I call Susumu, could you?"

"My pleasure."

With that, Drevin hurried to the hall to make his necessary phone call.

"Pick up." he mumbled as the phone rang, his foot tapped impatiently.

"Hello-"

"It's me."

"Drevin? Is everything going okay?" Susumu was wary of the tone of his friend's voice.

"Natasha took the boys for their chicken pox vaccinations a couple weeks ago, right?" Drevin was jittery as Susumu ran the question by his wife.

"Yes, why?"

"They've both got them." he ran a hand through his hair, "These two are going to be the end of me."

"Do you need us to come back?"

"No, I can deal with them." No matter how troublesome the pair could be, there wasn't any reason for Kai's parents to cut their conference short.

"Drevin?" Natasha took up the call.

"Hm?"

"Kai gets extra irritated when he's sick so make sure he gets plenty of extra sleep."

It was seconds later that she went into a long mom-tirade on how to care for her son when he was sick.

* * *

"Danika?"

"Yeah, sweetie?" she turned to Tala who was digging around in his chocolate explosion ice cream sundae with his spoon.

"If I die, I want you to have my favorite spoon."

"Yeah, me too." Kai sadly murmured, "You can have my spork."

"You boys aren't gonna die." she laughed good-naturedly.

"How do you know?" Tala was skeptical.

"Because I got chicken pox when I was just about your age and I'm fine. In fact, I've been alive quite a long time; I'm old enough to be your grandma."

"Really?" they both tilted their heads to the left in curiosity.

Danika chuckled at their cuteness. "Yes. Don't scratch!" she ordered Kai who had been working at a particularly bothersome pock on his arm.

"Why?" he looked frightened.

"Because they'll scar," The cook informed, taking their now-empty bowls. "not to mention, spread."

"But they're so itchy!" the smaller boy complained, looking, all of a sudden, as if he could cry.

"I'll get you two some calamine lotion later to help the itching. You mustn't scratch, you hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am." the boys mumbled through the wet was rag that she was wiping their mouths off with.

Drevin came back just as she was cleaning their hands.

"Do you feel any better?"

Tala nodded and outstretched his arms, wanting to be held. Kai mimicked him. Drevin sighed and picked them up; they hadn't acted like this for a while, a sure sign that they weren't feeling well.

"Thanks Danika." he thanked the cook for her trouble.

"Sure thing, Mr. Ivanov." she smiled at the retreating form of her employer.

Kai fell asleep before they even reached Tala's room; his nap had been cut short by the discovery of their chicken pox.

Tala's dad put Kai to bed and then placed a very sleepy redhead in his own bed. He turned to leave.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Tala?" he looked at the son who was, in many ways, an image of himself.

"Can you read me a story?"

* * *

Danika found the father and son later when she went to inquire about dinner.

Drevin slept uncomfortably against the headboard with Tala slung across him; the book on the floor was long forgotten.

* * *

A/N: I'm not fond of this chapter. Please excuse it's suckiness; I'm trying to focus on updating SINW.

This chapter didn't seem to have a point and it was really boring (not to mention short) but I hoped it kept you mildly entertained.

Review kind souls?


	4. Not Your Normal Business Meeting

A/N: I apologize for the long wait. I feel so bad! If anyone read my profile, the reason's there. Or I could just tell you that I've had a French exchange student for the past few weeks and haven't been able to write. Would that be simpler?

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade. I own Drevin, Danika, Tanya and the businessman. Not a very big accomplishment.

* * *

**Connect the Dots**

_Chapter Four: Not Your Normal Business Meeting_

'Oh great.' Drevin thought as he rubbed his neck, 'A sore neck on the day of that pointless business meeting I got roped into hosting.'

"Daddy?" The man turned his head to face the sleepy-looking newcomer; he already regretted putting more strain on his pained neck.

"Yeah?" He massaged the area once more.

Tala held out his arms and gained his desired response when his father picked him up.

"I itch."

Drevin grinned and pressed a small kiss onto the boy's temple.

"You're warm, too. Tell you what, why don't we get you and Kai some," He glanced at the clock and was surprised by the fact that the boys had slept the whole day away. "dinner and then we'll see about an oatmeal bath while I have my meeting. Sound good?"

"Okay." Tala mumbled while nuzzling his face into Drevin's shoulder.

The lawyer adjusted his hold on the sick child so that he could hold Kai with his other arm. After being stuck babysitting the boys one day, he and Susumu had both become pros at holding kids in one arm, thus freeing up the other arm to be used for anything else. This particular skill came in handy quite often and gave their wives an excuse for going out more often.

Drevin carried Tala out of the master bedroom where he had been about to begin getting ready for his conference, and into the boys' room.

"Kai." he crooned, gently shaking the dormant ball of sheet-covered person.

Kai gave off a small squeak and curled himself tighter into the fetal position.

"Come on, Kai. You've been asleep all day; you need to get something to eat."

After feeling another small shake to his shoulder the dual-haired boy unraveled himself from his blankets. Drevin smiled at the disoriented and sloppy appearance of Kai and picked him up with his extra arm. Kai's head automatically fell onto Drevin's shoulder.

As he carried the polka-dotted boys down to the kitchen he felt Kai's forehead rest against his neck; he had a fever to match Tala's. Perhaps after they ate he'd make sure that the two were given something to bring their fevers down.

Instead of walking through the servants' quarters, the wealthy Russian took his charges through the dining room to reach the kitchen. Workers scurried around the dining room preparing it for the night's gathering. Drevin supposed the staff found it nice that the boys were sick simply because the pair would be running around making things as difficult as could be if they were up to it.

They passed through the unnaturally busy and crowded kitchen. Drevin wasn't particularly fond of having so many people on hand; it felt like an invasion of privacy. A lot of his employees only worked part time on days with important functions. Just a few elderly maids, a grounds keeper, and Danika lived in the house all the time.

Drevin slipped through a door on the far side of the kitchen. The door led to a smaller dining room that was more casually decorated with a table that seated eight. This was where the Ivanovs usually ate since the normal dining room was too spacious and fancy for two people to eat everyday.

"Well look who finally decided to fact the light of day." Danika addressed the two boys as their guardian tried to get them situated at the table. Neither wanted to sit up; they were content with being slumped at the table and trying to catch a few more minutes of sleep.

"Maybe some chocolate chip pancakes that were supposed to be your breakfast could persuade you to wake up." The cook placed two plates with the breakfast down in front of the boys.

"Did you make those yourself?"

"Yes, sir." Danika gave her anxious employer a look that clearly said 'You're making a big deal out of nothing.' "Drevin-"

"Look, I know we've had this conversation before and I'll tell you what I did then: these kids' lives would be so valuable to certain outsiders and we have to be careful. You know I don't even like different employees in the house and I've had them all checked out numerous times."

"I know, I know." The cook smiled at Drevin's same old ways. "I'll keep them in my sight while they eat. Anything else?"

"Make sure they get some medicine for their fevers and they need an oatmeal bath so they don't scratch too much." He steered Kai's hand away from a particularly itchy arm.

The little boy pouted as he tried to rub the irritated patch of skin against his shirt.

Drevin sighed. "Maybe some calamine lotion?"

Danika nodded and retrieved the pink bottle from a small cupboard. She dabbed the lotion onto Kai's arm as he wiggled and squirmed because of the cold substance's contact with his skin.

Tala looked on surprisingly quietly as he ate. When Danika released Kai's arm, the phoenix reached for his fork and began to shovel in food with renewed strength. Apparently the pancakes had been a good incentive to get the boys up.

Tala's father smiled and left to ready himself for the conference.

* * *

"Why are there so many people in the house today, Tanya?" Tala questioned as the grandmother-like maid tugged the boy's shirt up over his head.

"You're father's hosting a business meeting." The long-employed woman answered, helping Tala untie his pajama pants. "But between you and me," she looked him in his curious blue eyes, "I don't think he's happy about it."

"Oh."

"Your dad said he told you about it this morning." Tanya set Tala into the bathtub next to Kai who was already busy playing with his tugboat.

"I forgot." Tala reached for Kai's boat only to have his hand slapped away.

The maid laughed as she picked up a shampoo bottle and squirted some of the honey and vanilla scented liquid into the palm of her hand.

Kai squished his face up into a grimace as she began to lather up his his hair and scrub his scalp with her fingertips. Tala giggled as Tanya than filled a plastic cup with water and rinsed Kai's hair. Kai covered his eyes with his hands to avoid getting shampoo in them.

When Tala's turn came he wasn't as cautious with his eyes and ended up screaming and crying for ten minutes until he's finally let Tanya rinse them out.

"That was a close one." He blinked his eyes repeatedly as both boys were wrapped in fluffy white towels and pulled from the tub.

"You two wait here while I go get the oatmeal. By the time I get back the bath tub will be ready to be refilled with fresh water."

With that, Tanya pulled the plug to drain the tub and took her leave.

Immediately afterwards Kai started to fidget. His back was itchy and he found that if he tugged on the towel the right way it scratched the hard to reach spot.

"What are you doing?" Tala was staring at his friend as if he was a lunatic.

"I'm itchy!" The younger boy complained.

"Stop." The redhead clutched Kai's arm. "I know something better."

* * *

"Aaaaaaah!" The two troublemakers let out a battle cry as they ran, covered in calamine lotion 'war paint', into the salon. They ran around the room once to scope it out and then set their sights on their goal. A slightly shaggy rug was spread under the coffee table in between the fireplace and couch.

The pair threw themselves under the coffee table and began to roll around on the carpet, successfully rendering one pock at a time itchless.

* * *

Drevin kept glancing at the clock; he couldn't help it. The meeting had been dull with pointless information. Well, it was pointless to Drevin because it had nothing to do with him. Some of the others might have found it important; how horrible must it be to be such a boring person?

They'd shortly adjourned to the salon after dinned for drinks. As the businessmen chattered away on unimportant topics, the youngest man in the room stood alone, wondering how his boys were doing.

"Aaaaaaah!"

Speak of the devils.

He watched in amusement a scene that shouldn't have been funny but, of course, was. Everyone turned as one to see Kai and Tala come streaking into the room wearing calamine lotion as war paint.

He bit back laughter as they ran one lap around the room and dove under the coffee table. He couldn't help a chuckle as they began to scratch their chicken pox on the rug.

"Drevin, what is the meaning of this?!"

Drevin turned to one of the more well-known businessmen.

"They have chicken pox, sir. I think the carpet seemed appealing."

The man looked disgusted. Drevin could almost tell what was going through his head: chicken pox were a thing of filth that only dirty street children contracted. The man pursed his lips and was about to reply when,

"Daddy!" The boys ran over to Drevin having heard his voice. He scooped them up without a second thought.

"How revolting." the man said, "You let the barbarians run around the house naked, disrupt your guests, and-"

"If the joys of childhood bother you that much, you can leave." Drevin's voice dripped venom. "How dare you come here, after you forced me to host this meeting, and insult my children. They're only kids! How lowly of a person do you have to be?"

"I assure you Mr. Ivanov, my children never have acted so outrageously."

"I would think that your teenagers don't run around naked; by themselves, that is. There's no way of telling what they do with others."

The man puffed up angrily, his face as red as a beet.

"You, sir, need just as much discipline as your children!"

"And you, sir, need to get out! And take everyone else with you."

With one last cool glare, Drevin left the salon and carried the disturbingly quiet boys back upstairs.

* * *

A/N: So? Was it worth the wait? I hope so. I don't know about you, but I could so see them wearing calamine lotion war paint.

Review?


	5. Bedtime Business

A/N: Well, it has certainly been a long while. I'm sorry for the wait; I've been tied up in schoolwork and just about anything you can imagine. I'm slowly getting back into my writing groove now that I'm out of school so I hope you'll bear with me; this chapter isn't too long but I hope it will suffice as my first update of the summer.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't, nor will I ever, own Beyblade. Then again, maybe I'll buy it one day, but until then, no suing.

* * *

**Connect the Dots**

_Chapter Five: Bedtime Business _

"Daddy?" Tala muttered as Drevin ran the terrible twosome a new bath.

"Yes, Tala?" The elder Ivanov questioned, testing the water's temperature on his arm.

Not receiving a reply, he turned around to see both of the boys looking extremely guilty. Kai was studying his bare toes determinedly and Tala was staring at his father, looking like he wanted to say something but his guilt was bothering him too much for words.

"Come here." he held out his arms, gesturing for the pair to come into his embrace, which they did eagerly.

"Did we ruin your meeting, Daddy?" The redheaded boy sounded genuinely sorry for what he and his best friend did as he clung to Drevin with a vice-like grip.

"Of course not, Tala." The man pulled them into his lap. "I enjoyed your little display. It made for great comic relief. I'll never forget the looks on everyones faces; they sure won't ask me to host anything ever again. That's a good thing."

"You're not mad?" Kai asked incredulously as he wiped away some tears.

"Not at all." he smiled, "You two were the best part."

Relieved, the children allowed themselves to be placed in the bathtub for the second time that night. Drevin gave them each a good scrubbing, being sure to remove all of the calamine lotion before rewarding the well-behaved duo some extra time to play with their bath toys.

"Choo choo!" Kai cried, maneuvering his tugboat around giant globs of suds he had set up as barriers.

"Boats don't go 'choo choo'!" Tala exclaimed.

"Mine does." Kai shot back, "It's half train. See, it has one of those funny tower things on it that smoke comes out of." He pointedly gestured to the smokestack on his boat.

"All tugboats have that." the wolf cub stated matter-of-factly.

"Mine's still half train!" Kai shouted, splashing his adversary.

Tala growled and splashed back and pretty soon they were in full-on battle mode. By the time Drevin could separate the pair, both he and a good portion of the bathroom were covered in a soaking wet battle scar.

Drevin sighed, surveying the damage. His eyes came to rest on two very sheepish-looking troublemakers. Tala gave a small nervous laugh as his dad raised an eyebrow.

"C'mon, Kai." He hopped out of the tub. "Let's go to bed."

"Okay." The other youngster got the hint. He climbed out of the bathtub, slipping on the soggy floor as his feet met the ground. "Oops!"

The devil-haired redhead helped him up off of his butt.

Now that he was securely standing, Kai searched the room for his bathrobe. Having no success, he turned to Tala.

"I can't find it."

"Just use mine." Tala clumsily tossed his robe to the phoenix who caught it and slipped it on. "I'll just borrow Daddy's."

The five-year-old scrambled over to the door where his father's bathrobe hung on a hook. He tugged at the robe, trying to get it down. Having no luck, he growled and pulled at the clothing repeatedly. Even when Kai slid over to help it took the speckled duo a while to get the garment down. It ended up falling on top of them, causing them to lose more time detangling themselves.

Drevin held back laughter when his son exhaled forcefully, finally free, and smoothed the twice-his-size bathrobe he was now wearing.

"Well," the child did his best to exit the bathroom with half of the robe dragging haphazardly behind him, "Goodnight father."

"Yeah, goodnight." Kai echoed with a wave as he shut the door behind him and his friend.

The lawyer shook his head as he looked upon the soaked bathroom and heard the rascals scampering away as fast as Tala's oversized robe would let them. Those two were something else.

* * *

"Tala."

Said boy did his best to ignore the annoying voice calling his name. He was tired; it had been a long day and he'd tripped one too many times over his dad's bathrobe.

"Tala."

He pulled his comforter over his head and snuggled down into his pillows. He would _not_ get up. Not for any bothersome voice.

"Tals, get up!"

Oh great. Now the dumb voice had hands and was shaking him as it used his nickname.

"What!" he whispered violently to his pestering friend.

"I'm itchy, Tala." Kai whined, his eyes big and pouting.

"What do you want me to do about it?" No matter how much he wanted it to not be true, Tala was now wide awake for the most part. He rolled onto his back and flipped the covers off of him.

"Help! Help me find the calamine lotion." The whining was beginning to get pathetic.

"Oh, alright." Tala couldn't stand to hear his best friend in such misery.

"Thank you." Kai jumped off the bed and waited patiently for his host to follow. He didn't want to push his luck by rushing the boy. Tala rolled out of bed rather sloppily and opened his mouth in a giant yawn as he stretched.

"C'mon." he beckoned Kai forwards sluggishly. "There might be some in my bathroom."

The purple-eyed boy nodded and followed, scratching at a spot on his elbow.

* * *

Sun seeped its way through Drevin's curtains, trying to lure him into facing the day. Deciding to cancel all of the day's appointments and spend the day doing whatever he felt like doing, the lawyer tumbled out of bed. He yawned heartily and stretched. First thing's first, he had to make sure the boys hadn't thought he was seriously angry with them the night before.

He arrived at their room only to discover they weren't there. Thinking it odd, and slightly unsettling, he checked Tala's bathroom to start off the search.

He couldn't help but give a relieved and heart-warmed smile at the sight he found.

Tala and Kai were curled up together in the bathtub fast asleep with their heads resting against each other. Kai was clutching the calamine lotion that was also smeared all over both of the once-itchy boys. Apparently they'd never made it back to their room.

Drevin willed them to stay asleep as he went to find a camera.

* * *

A/N: Like I said, it's short. Satisfying? I'll leave that up to you.

The chapter title came from Noggin. It's channel 131 on my TV. They do some odd segment at night called Bedtime Business. I thought it was appropriate since I was having trouble coming up with a name for this chapter.

I've put a poll up on my profile just to see what you'd like to see from me next. Most of it's MaxMariam since that's my biggest audience. The only one that's not is the Biology Lab Disaster one. If you want, check out the poll since I may be taking it down soon.

Review?


	6. Ode to Spork

It's been a long, long, long time, but I'm finally getting back into my writing groove. Here's chapter six.

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Ode to Spork**

"Hey Drev. It's me. Just calling to check up on the boys. Call me when you can. B-"

"Susumu! Wait! I'm here."

"Oh. You seem out of breath, Drevin. The boys running you around a fair bit then?" It was as if the smirk on Susumu Hiwatari's face had become audible.

"I'm getting them breakfast." Drevin answered and held the phone with his shoulder so he could wipe his syrupy hands on his jeans.

"Trust me," his long-time friend said. "I know even that can be too much of a chore some days. Especially if they're not in a particularly obedient mood."

"They've been pretty good this morning. Yesterday they made a pool out of the bathroom but that's to be expected."

There was a chuckle on the line.

"I found them asleep in Tala's bathtub this morning smothered in calamine lotion." Drevin added. "They're both complaining because of how sore they are."

"Has Kai given you any trouble? Other than that, I mean."

"Not anymore than Tala has. They're sick kids so there's bound to be trouble to some degree. I've noticed that they've both been more clingy than they usually are but at least I can keep an eye on them that way."

"Well I'm glad you're hanging in there." Susumu still sounded amused.

"I'll be sure to call you if there are any problems. You can fly right home and deal with them yourself." Drevin joked.

Just then the distressed wail of a child was heard along with the pitter-pattering of running feet drawing nearer.

"That sounded like Kai." Susumu sounded glad that he didn't have to deal with the issue.

"I'd better go." Drevin was gazing down the hallway aware that the boys would be rounding the corner presently.

With a swift good-bye the call was finished just in time.

"Dreviiiinnn!" Kai cried as he jetted around the corner closely followed by a guilty-looking redhead. The smaller of the pair threw himself into the man's arms.

"I didn't do anything!" Tala whined as he caught up. "I didn't mean to! It was an accident!" Clearly his previous proclamation of innocence had been rethought.

"What happened?"

"Tala-" Kai swallowed thickly. "Tala broke my spork!"

With that he burst into tears and Tala started off on an explanation trying to clear his name while shouting over his friend's sobs.

"I was just trying to see if it flung food better than silverware and it broke in half!" he screamed desperately. "I didn't _mean_ to hurt Kai's feelings."

"Did you apologize?" Drevin hoped he wouldn't grow to hate his decision of spending the day with the boys.

"_Yes._ A zillion times! He was running too fast to listen!"

"Kai, listen. Tala's going to apologize to you again." The lawyer gently shook the child who reluctantly raised his tear-streaked face to look at Tala.

"I'm really sorry, Kai! Will you forgive me? I want to still be friends. Can we? Please?" he folded his hands and begged, using a puppy-dog pout he wore well.

"I forgive you." Kai whimpered. "But my spork's ruined! It was my absolute _favorite_ spork ever. It was perfect for eating everything and it made food taste better. It fit perfectly in my hand." He paused to scratch at a pock which he was quickly reprimanded for. "And the best thing of all about it was that it was blue – the best color in the whole rainbow. It was the only blue spork in the whole pack and Mommy let me keep it but now it's broken! See?!" He held out the two pieces.

Drevin lifted the broken utensil out of the tiny hands.

"I'll look at this. In the meantime, you two should get to finishing your pancakes." He extended a spare hand to his son. Tala shook his head and stuck his arms up, wanting to be carried like Kai. With a slight roll of his eyes, Drevin complied, lifting up the second boy.

Once they reached the casual dining room Drevin plopped the children on their chairs in front of their half finished plates of pancakes. He then settled himself at the other end of the table to assess the damage done to the only utensil Kai ever used.

"Drevin."

"Yes, Kai?" He looked over at Kai, temporarily ignoring the job at hand.

"I can't eat without my special spork." The purple-eyed boy was sitting with his spotted arms crossed defiantly.

The lawyer sighed and stood, disappearing into the kitchen. He returned with a drawer – the silverware drawer.

"Try some of these while I see what can be done for your spork."

"Okay." He sounded doubtful.

Over the next few minutes Kai tried every fork in the drawer.

"This one's too pointy." He'd said for one. "And this one's too hard to hold."

Tala watched with a forkful of pancake halfway to his mouth. He set the fork down. "Why don't you just pick one?"

"None of them are as good as my spork." He whined.

"Well, I just pick one." Tala bragged. "I'm not a baby like you."

"I'm not a baby!" Kai defended, standing up on his chair and bringing his hands down forcefully on the table, making the forks he'd deemed unworthy jingle in their teetering pile. "Take it back!"

Tala stood up, too and leaned forward like Kai. "Well, it's true. If you were a big kid like me you would be happy using a regular fork."

"Well we wouldn't even have this problem if you hadn't broken my spork!"

"Well if you could use a regular fork you wouldn't have a spork for me to _accidentally_ break!"

"You're mean!"

"You're a wimp!"

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Drevin!" Kai griped, tears gathering in his eyes. "I want Mommy!"

"Your mom's not here!" Tala snarled ferociously.

That was the last straw. Kai sat back down, covered his face with his hands, and cried.

"Tala, go to your room." Drevin ordered.

"But-"

"No buts. Go." His voice was unmistakably stern.

"Fine." Tala pouted, hopping off his chair and leaving, slamming the door behind him in bad taste.

"C'mon Kai." Drevin picked him up. "Let's go fix your spork."

Once they were in the lawyer's office, Kai was placed on the desk. Drevin searched his drawers before pulling out two tape options for Kai to choose from.

"Which one do you like better?"

Kai silently pointed to the blue painter's tape.

Drevin nodded knowingly and proceeded to tape up the treasured spork.

"Drevin."

"Yes?" He held out the repaired utensil.

"Do you think I'm a baby?" Kai took the spork and twirled it around in his hands.

"Of course not! You're practically all grown up."

"Thank you for fixing my spork."

Drevin smiled. "You're very welcome."

"Drevin, can I call Mommy and tell her about how you fixed my spork?"

Those big eyes held so much hope that Drevin found himself chuckling at the small boy. "Of course."

He picked up his work phone and dialed.

"Hello?"

"Susumu, can you put Natasha on?"

"Mm-hm. Hold on."

There was a brief bout of conversation and Kai's mother's voice came on.

"Nothing's wrong is it?" Her voice was one where she sounded as if she could be singing as she spoke; soft and chiming.

"Not at all. Kai wanted to tell you about his morning."

He handed Kai the phone and the boy answered with a bright, "Hi Mommy!"

As Kai rambled on to his mother about the day's events, Drevin snuck away to go see Tala.

He knocked on the boy's door. It opened a sliver and Tala's tear-streaked face poked out.

"What?" he sniffled.

"Can I come in?" A father's kindness shone through.

"Okay." Tala rubbed his eyes and pushed the door the rest of the way open.

His dad stepped across the threshold and scooped him up into his arms.

"I'm sorry." The redhead began to cry again, burying his face in Drevin's shoulder.

"I know." Drevin comforted and moved his hand in tender circles on his child's back, taking a seat on the boy's bed.

"Kai hates me." The voice was muffled.

"No, he doesn't." The lawyer crooned. "He was just a little upset. He's talking to his mom right now. I fixed his spork. Everything's okay."

Tala calmed down and after a minute or two of silence, Drevin thought he might've fallen asleep.

"I'm hungry."

Maybe not.

"I think we can go down now. Kai should be finishing up by now." Drevin got up and carried Tala downstairs.

Kai was waiting on the last step and followed them back to the dining room. Here apologies were made and everyone sat down to finally enjoy breakfast.

"Drevin."

"What, Kai?"

"My pancakes are cold."

* * *

A/N: Tala was a cruel child.

Review?

P.S. My sister and I are planning a story that we're going to need Beyblade fanfiction writers' usernames for. None of them will be used in a negative way. This may or may not be the first story on our collaboration account depending if we decide to write it together or not. If any of you are willing to lend your username to our cause, let me know in a review or message. Thanks!


End file.
